Custom topographic map gift for Great Walk hikers, handcrafted by Tides Out Maps in New Zealand

Great Walks Gifts: What to Give a Tramping Couple or Hiking Lover

Great Walks Gifts: What to Give a Tramping Couple or Hiking Lover

🥾 Because Memories Deserve More Than Just Muddy Boots

If someone you know has just completed one of New Zealand’s iconic Great Walks, chances are they’re glowing with pride (and possibly still rubbing tiger balm on their calves). Whether it was their first multiday tramp or their tenth hut-to-hut adventure, a meaningful gift can help them celebrate the moment—and keep the memory alive long after the trail dust has settled.

At Tides Out Maps, we create handcrafted maps that honour those experiences with detail, beauty, and personalisation. Here’s our guide to the best gifts for tramping couples, hiking lovers, and Great Walk fanatics—perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, or trail-end surprises.

🎁 1. A Custom Topographic Wall Map of Their Walk

Let’s start with the ultimate keepsake: a topographic map that reflects the trail they’ve conquered.

Whether it’s:

  • The Milford Track, Routeburn, or Kepler through Fiordland’s valleys

  • The volcanic Tongariro Northern Circuit

  • The new Te Araroa Walk through Te Urewera

  • Or the sun-soaked Abel Tasman Coast Track
    …our NZ Topo Maps showcase the natural contours of Aotearoa with elevation lines, terrain details, and coastal curves—beautiful enough to hang in any home or hut.

✨ Make it personal:

  • Add their names or trail dates

  • Engrave a quote or summit milestone

  • Highlight their specific route with a custom marker

🔗 Shop the NZ Topo XL Map →
🔗 Add a Bespoke Touch →

🛶 2. Great Walk-Inspired Gift Set

Create a themed gift bundle based on the walk they completed. For example:

For the Routeburn or Milford Track:

  • Map of Fiordland

  • Enamel mug with engraved coordinates

  • Dehydrated tramping meal “for old times’ sake”

For Abel Tasman or Rakiura:

  • Lightweight beach towel

  • Map of the region

  • A voucher for a return trip or kayaking tour

Bundle it all in a dry bag, and you’ve got the ultimate tramping-lover gift pack.

💑 3. A Couples Map for Their First Great Walk Together

Tramping is a bonding experience—especially for couples. Whether they’ve just walked their first trail together or completed a full Great Walk circuit, a personalised couples map makes a romantic and meaningful gift.

Perfect for:

  • Anniversaries

  • Engagements (they proposed at the lookout!)

  • Valentine’s Day or weddings

Engrave it with:

  • “First Great Walk – Tongariro, 2025”

  • Their initials and trail name

  • A heart marker on the most memorable spot

🔗 See More Anniversary Gift Ideas →

📚 4. A Hiking Journal + Map Combo

For those who love documenting their tramps, pair a handwritten trail journal with one of our maps. They can:

  • Journal their day-by-day trail experience

  • Annotate their favourite huts and views

  • Frame the map and keep the journal nearby

This combo becomes a conversation starter and memory capsule in their home or holiday bach.

🏔️ 5. A Map to Inspire Their Next Walk

Sometimes the best gift isn’t a reflection—it’s a nudge. If they just finished Kepler, maybe they’ve got their eye on Paparoa or Whanganui next.

Gift a map of a region they haven’t explored yet and say, “Where to next?”

You’re giving them:

  • A visual goal

  • A meaningful object to dream over

  • A reason to start planning their next escape

🔗 Browse All NZ Map Regions →

🎉 Final Thoughts

The best hiking gifts go beyond gear. They help people remember why they walk—the views, the sweat, the laughter, the stillness. Whether you're shopping for a hiking couple, your tramping buddy, or treating yourself after your first DOC hut night, a Tides Out map offers more than art. It offers a way to keep walking, every time you look at the wall.

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